Three-aspect signal



2 Shets-Sheet 1 F. W. HARRIS THREE-ASPECT SIGNAL Filed Jan. 3 1920 INVENTOR. Ford IlHarz A TTORNEY.

F. W. HARRIS THREEASPECT SIGNAL Filed Jan. 3, 1920 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 ATTORAZEX Ford yMHarz'is,

Patented Oct. 23, 1923.

STATES FORD W. HABBIEDF LOS ANGELES, CALIFDRNIA.

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appncatmnmea sammy a, mao. aerial No. 349,312.

T o all whom z't may concern:

Be it known that 1 Forum W. HARRIS, a citizen of the United tates, residing at Los An cles, in the county of Los Angeles, State of alifornia, have invented a new and use` ful Three-Aspect Signal, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to signals such as are used at railroad crossings for the purpose of indicating the approach 'of a train.

The principal object of my invention 1s to provide a signal which will give a clear or safety indication under normal conditions, which will give an out-of-order signal upon failure of the current supply or mechanism,

and which will give a danger signal whenever a train approaches the crossing.

A further object of my invention 1s to provide a signal of this character in which a target and a mask for the target areused, the mask hiding the target to indicate that the crossing is clear and moving away to expose the target whenever the current sup` ply fails, or whenever a train approaches the crossing.

l also provide for the oscillation of the target during the time a train is approaching the crossing and I utilize thisl oscillation to reset the mask in the clear position.

Further objects and advantages will be made evident hereinafter.

Referring to the drawings, which are for illustrative purposes only.

Fig. 1 is a side elevation partly in section showing my signal in the clear position.

Fig. 2 is a side view of same.

Fig. 3 is a side elevation partly in section showing my signal in the out-of-order position.

Fig. 4 is a side elevation partly in section showing in full lines the position assumed by the signal at one end of the stroke and in dotted lines the positionassumed by the signal at the other end of the stroke during the oscillation or danger indication, portions o the signal being omitted for the sake of clearness.

Fig. 5 is a diagram of connections.

Fig. 6 is an enlarged View showing the toggle links used.

In the form of the invention illustrated in these drawings a case 11 is provided, this case being supported on angle irons 12 which are carried in a suitable structure. Journalled to turn freely in the case 11 is a target shaft 13 and a mask shaft 14. Socured to the target shaft 13 is an armature 1.5, which is oscillatedby suitable electroresponsive means such as the coils 16 and 17,\these coils being energized by a switch having stationary Acontacts 18 and a moving contact.- 19 as shown in the diagram Fig. 5, the arrangement of the coils and switch being similar to that shown in the Patent to Bell et. al. 1,160,243, patented November 16,

1915. A. target counterweight 20 is provided, secured to the target shaft 13 and a bent pipe arm 21 is also secured to this shaft projecting down and carrying a cir` cular target 22, which may be provided with illuminating means 23 if desired. Secured to the mask shaft 14 is a pipe arm 30, which carries a squarewmask 31, this mask being provided w1th a bottom 32 and with sides 33, so that the target is obscured thereby when the parts are in the position shown at Fig. 1. A mask counterweight 34 is se` cured to the mask shaft 14. Shields 35 are secured to the angle irons 12 as shown.

Located inside the case 11 is the mask re` straining mechanism. This includes a short mask lever arm secured to the shaft 14 and a long target lever arm 41 secured to the shaft 13. -kivoted on a pin 42 inthe lever arm 41 is an armature link 43, which is pivoted by a pin 44 to a magnet link 45, this magnet link 45 being in turn pivoted on a pin 46 carried in the lever arm 40. A magnet 47 is also carried on the lever arm 45, this magnet being so placed that it readily holds an armature 48, which forms an extension to the link 43. rll`he pin 44 is slightly oil" center from the lineconnecting the pins 42 and 46 so that there is a tendency for the toggle formed by the links 43 and 45 to break in the direction of the arrow A of Fig. 6 unless restrained by the magnet 47. The diagram of connections is shown in Fig. 5, in which 50 are the insulated rails of the vtrack of the railway upon which the crossing is located. A track battery 51 is connected at either terminal to one of the rails 50 and at either terminal Y to the operating coil of a relay 52, having ry. The method of operation 1s as follows: Under normal conditions and with no train approaching the crossing, the parts are in t e position shown in Figs. 1 and 5, contact 55 being held in its upper position by the track battery 51the magnet 47 thus being energized by the operating battery 56.

With the parts in this position the square mask 3l. completely covers the round target- 22, the mask being ainted white and the target being painte red. This serves to notify a vehicle approaching the crossing that there is no train approaching the crossing and that the signal is in operating condition. llf the operating battery 56 tails or it the connection between the operating battery 56 and the magnet 47 tails, the circuit to the magnet 47 is interrupted. llt the trackbattery 51 fails or it this battery is short-circuited by a train coming across the rails 50, the moving contact 55 ot the relay 52 drops, thus opening the circuit to the magnet 47.

lln any of these cases the opening of the circuit of the magnet 47 demagnetizes the core thereof and the armature 48 is released, the toggle formed by the links 43 and 45 being broken and colas lng lnto the position shown in Fi. 3. T e counterweight 34 throws the mas into the position shown in Fig. 3 behind the shield 35 secured to the angle irons 12. At the Sametime the target moves slightly to the lett from the pos1t1on shown in Fig. 1 into the position shown at Fig. 3. This indicates that the signal is out of order in the event that the target is stationary. llt however the operating batte is intact and the interruption to the coi 47'- is due to the relay contact 55 dropping, there is an oscillation of the signal, due to the closing of 'the circuit through the oscillating mechanism by the closing of the circuit across the contacts 54. llt therefore the track battery 51 has failed or the wires leading from the track battery 51 to the relay coll 52 have been broken or Athe battery has lbeen short-circuited, due to the presence of a train on the insulated rails 50, there is an oscillation ot the signal which will continue until the battery 56 is entirely exhausted or the relay 52 is restored to its original upper position. )During this oscillation the target 22 swingsv through an arc indicated by the extreme positions shown in full lines and dotted lines in Fig. 4. Every te the target reaches one extreme ot this afirmar arc as indicated in tall lines in Fig. 4 the links 43 and 45 are pulled into the position shown in Fig. 6 so that the magnet 47 'could hold them in that position were it energized. Whenever, therefore, the coil of the relay` 52 is again energized, thus pullin contact 55 into its upper osition, there 1s a simulta-` neous interruption ot the current supply to the oscillating mechanism together with a restoral ot the current supplyot the magnet 47. The parts are so arranged that there is ver little friction and the target 22 will ma e a considerable number of swings betore comin to rest after current to the coils 16 and 17 1s out oil. The result is that as soon as the current is taken od the operating mechanism and the magnet 47 is energized the toggle formed by the links 43 and 45 is reset upon the next swing oit the signal. With the toggle formed by the links 43 and 45 held in rigid relationship the weight of the target 22 is suiicient to pull the mask 3l downwardly from behind the shields 35 into the position shown in Fig. 1. lln other words, the members move from the position shown in full lines in Fig. 4 into the position shown in Fig. 1. This is the clear or safe indication of the signal. lt will be noted that this clear or safe indication is dependent not only upon the integrity of the batteries 51 and 56 and the wiring running therefrom, but that the resetting of the signal to clear position requires a perfect actuation of the signal. Tt for any reason the signal fails to oscillate after the mask 22 has been allowed to Amove behind the shields 35 or in the event that the oscillation is only partial, it is impossible for the signal -to reset and it continues to hang in the position shown in Fig. 3, thus indicating danger in the sense that it indicates that the signal is out of order. ln other words, it would indicate by a red target and a red light that a person approaching the crossing should use caution. lf, however, for any reason the signal is in the position shown in Fig. 3, but is in operative condition at the end of any perfect operation-the signal will always reset itself to clear as shown in Fig. l. l For convenience Fig. 1 may be as a clear signal, Fig. 3 as an out-of-order or caution signal, and Fig. 4 as a danger signal.

claim as my invention:

1. ln a signal, the combination ot a target member; a mask member; restrainin means holding said members in such. a position that said mask obscures said target; and means operable upon the release of said restraining means for moving one of said members so that said mask no longer obscures said target.

2. ln a signal, the combination ot a target member; means for swinging said target member; a la member; restraining ns l holding said members in such a position that said mask obscures said target; and

lmeans operable upon the release of said re- 4. In a signal, the combination of a targetI member; means for swinging said target member; a mask member; restraining means holding said members in such a position that said mask obscures said target; and means operable upon the release of said restraining means for moving said mask so that it no longer obscures said target.

5. In a signal, the combination of: a target; electrically actuated means for moving said target; a mask so mounted that it can be swung into a position to obscure said target; a weight tending to throw said mask out of its obscuring position; and members coupling said mask to said target in such relation that said mask tends to obscure said target whenever said electrically actuated means is de-energized.

6. In a signal, the `combination of: a target; electrically actuated means for moving said target; a mask so mounted that it can be swung into a position to obscure said target; a Weight tending to throw said mask out of its obscuring position; and electromagnetically restrained members coupling said mask to said target in such relation that said mask tends to obscure said target whenever said electrically actuated means is cle-energized. t

7. A railway crossing signal, comprising controlling means actuated by the movement of a train, a movably mounted warning device, a cover adapte to be moved into and out of position for exposing said Warning device to view, means regulated by said controlling means for transmitting motion to said warning device, and means also regulated by said controllin means for maintaining the cover normal y in operative covering position opposite the warning device,

but adapted during the movement of the warning device to permit the cover to be continuously in position for exposing the warning device.

8. A railway crossing signal comprising controlling means actuated by the movement of a train, a movably mounted warning device, a cover adapted to be moved into and out ot position for exposing said warning device to view, a motor operatively connected with said warning device for transmitting motion thereto, means for moving the cover into operative covering position with respect to the warning device, a clutch.

for operativelyconnecting said motor with said cover moving means, means regulated by said controlling means for throwing said clutch into and out of operation, and means regulated by said controlling means for starting and stoppingl said motor.

. 9. A railway crossing signal comprising controlling means actuated by the movement of a train, a movably mounted warning device, a cover adapted to be moved into and out of position for exposing said warning device to view, a motor operatively connected with said warning device for transmitting motion'thereto, means for moving the cover into operative covering position with respect to the warning device, a clutch for operatively connecting said motor with said cover moving` means, and means regulated by said controlling means for throwing the clutch into operation at the end of the predetermined desired period of operation of the motor.

10. A railway crossin signal comprising an electric switch regu ated by the movement of a train, a swinging warning device, means for swinging said warning device, an oscillating cover adapted to be swung into and out of position covering the warning device, and means operative when the switch is in one position for causing the cover to move out of operative covering position and operative when the switch is in the other position for causing said cover to move again to its normal covering position.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand at Los Angeles, California, this 19th day of December 1919.

FORD W. HARRIS` 

